


Mise en place

by spacewhistler



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Bad Cooking, Cooking Lessons, Implied Relationships, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-13 12:53:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29153856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spacewhistler/pseuds/spacewhistler
Summary: This is, ultimately, the story of Sho’s quest for a hobby.
Relationships: Matsumoto Jun/Sakurai Sho
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	Mise en place

**Author's Note:**

> Mise en place is a French culinary phrase which means “everything in its place.” This fic is written for the Sho Exchange 2016-2017 for astrangerenters. :) I realized I haven't posted this fic anywhere aside from the fic exchange journal so here it is, my four-year-old work. Enjoy!

“You know, Sho-chan,” Aiba Masaki slurs, hiccupping between words. His eyes are half-closed, his upper body leaning heavily on Sho’s side. “You should really do something more worthwhile during your off time rather than dragging us to God knows where.”

With a bark of laugh, Aiba refills his glass on his own, spilling some on the table, before Sho can react. With a roll of his eyes, Sho turns back to nursing his own drink and let his friend ramble on.

Their conversation, which started from Sho asking how Aiba’s parents are, has made its way to Aiba’s constant insistence for Sho to find a hobby. His friend has lectured on and on about the perks of having one for weeks prior to this drinking night. If Sho can tear his ears off, he would have done so every time Aiba slips into hobby-finding mode.

It’s not like it isn’t a bad idea. In fact, Sho considers it thoroughly. 

His schedule is packed to the brim, he barely has time left for silence and spacing out. It is with this shocking realization one day that Aiba insists, after knowing Sho for more than ten years, that Sho must find a worthwhile hobby: one he won’t forget easily, one he can keep up everyday if possible, and one worth his precious time. 

Sho ends that night by taking his drunk friend home who is still mumbling under his breath suggestions and recommendations on what Sho can take as a hobby.

Sho is grateful, of course, as it conveys how much Aiba is concerned for him. But aside from being insistent, Aiba can be quite talkative, too.

Before long, Aiba has somehow spread the news to relevant people. Ohno, upon meeting Sho on the weekend after Aiba’s conviction-filled statement of finding him a hobby, wordlessly hands him a list over breakfast. 

Sho, with his brows furrowed in confusion, wipes his hands on the tissues to his left, and takes the piece of paper. In Ohno’s barely readable penmanship, he sees a list of activities like fishing, snorkeling, drawing, biking, painting, another fishing, as well as a bunch of other activities.

As Ohno munches on his French bread, Sho raises his head to meet Ohno’s eyes, hoping to convey his confusion without words.

Ohno smiles fondly, one seemingly reminiscent of Aiba’s, “Aiba-chan told me you’re looking for a hobby. And as a person with more time for hobbies than jobs, Aiba-chan told me to furnish a list of things you could do.”

Sho sighs as soon as Ohno finished his sentence. “How many times do I have to tell the both of you, that I am all right with my current situation? I’m fine with how things are right now and I don’t need a hobby in the middle of all the chaos at work.”

Ohno puts down his bread, his eyes squinting to focus on Sho. He looks serious, Sho realizes with a nervous gulp. “This is exactly why you need one. You’re becoming too much of a workaholic monster, someone straight out of my nightmares. One hobby will be enough for you to take your mind off things a bit, before you spiral into craziness.”

Without saying a word, Sho exhales and drains his coffee cup in one go. He ponders on the possibility of finding a worthwhile hobby. While it may not impede on his work, Sho admits to himself that he is quite afraid of something so enjoyable that he will come to love it more than he loves his job. Sho is a dedicated person with a never-ending list of goals ahead of him. If a hobby gets in the way of that, he will never forgive himself.

“But you’re still young! Enjoy your time while you still can! There are tons of activities out there that can distract you from work but will never take you away from it!” Sho imagines Aiba would say. Aiba has invested too much in this quest and Sho is surprised by how his friend seemed so passionate about this.

With a sip, Sho considers the thought for a minute. Ohno, who is preoccupied with his bread and placing a thin spread of jam on one, ignores him as he thinks. 

“So?” Ohno asks suddenly after he has successfully finished his making his sandwich. “Want to try fishing?”

A single nod cements it.

\--

Ohno drags Sho early to the sea. Ohno texted him the night before, saying that he has rented a boat and they’ll be ready to go by 4 am. Sho is not normally awake at four in the morning. Sho basically tells Ohno it’s impossible to have him wake up at that time and expect him to be all active and eager.

But Ohno went over to his place, with all his fishing gear slung over his shoulder in a large duffel bag, and slept over, uninvited. 

“I’ll be your personal alarm clock,” Ohno reassures him. Sho is anything but. 

So it is with trepidation and grogginess that Sho drags his feet to a rented boat on a cold Saturday morning. Ohno excitedly shook him awake and has prepared everything in advance. He even hailed the taxi himself.

It is a sleepy town somewhere outside of Tokyo Sho did not bother to know. The sun hasn’t risen yet when they arrived and there is no sign of human life anywhere that it’s almost eerie. 

Ohno links arms with Sho then, smiling so wide that it threatens to break his face apart.

When Sho steps on the boat, the slight sway makes him shiver, his hands burying into the deepest of his jacket’s pockets. The dewy morning breeze blows towards his face and he does not have the will nor the reason to appreciate it.

Who wants to go fishing when it’s nearly winter?

Ohno apparently wants to. As soon as Sho settles on one of the padded seats of the boat, Ohno busies himself with the big box he brought with him. Sho has wondered about that on the way here.

“What is that?” Sho inquires, genuinely curious.

“A fishing tool storage organizer. Aiba-chan’s friend helped me order this online!” Ohno proudly remarks, pulling out one of the multiple drawers of the box. “This is so you can choose your own lure, Sho-chan! Go on!”

Indeed, inside the drawer are colorful lures of different kinds. Sho crouches beside Ohno and picks up one. He tilts his head in confusion and opens the other drawers (there are three more below the organizer). The box contains nothing but lures. 

“How can you afford this much?” Sho inquires, his brows furrowing at his friend. 

Ohno just sleepily smiles, closing each drawer one by one, but not before collecting two of the lures from the second drawer. “It’s a secret.”

Stunned by Ohno’s attitude over fishing, Sho lets it go with a quiet sigh. This man is incredible, he deems.

Ohno attaches the lure to a fishing rod and within minutes, he hands it over to Sho. 

Their fishing begins without any prior preparation.

\--

After 25 hours of fishing at sea, Sho triumphantly wraps an arm around Ohno’s shoulders on their way home. 

“I’m pretty good at fishing for a beginner, huh, teacher?” Sho teases.

Ohno sticks out his thin lips in a pout, his arms crossed in a gesture of defiance and disbelief. He refuses to talk while Sho is in stitches over this unexpected development. Sho caught his first one within an hour at sea. Ohno, of course, had been pleased of his achievement. Sho did not expect to enjoy it. Before their day ended, Sho managed to get 5 fishes, all within the 40 cm range. 

The reason why Ohno is agitated is solely because he did not catch any. Despite setting up too many extra fishing rods on the boat, he did not catch even a single one.

Sho poking at Ohno’s sides irritated the latter that he breaks free from Sho’s hold and ragingly declares, “We’re going back on Saturday!”

Sho doubled up in laughter as Ohno fumes and walks away.

\--

“Sho-chan! I have good news!” Aiba shouts as soon as he enters the coffee shop they frequent, nearly making Sho spit all of his espresso. It’s Thursday night and Aiba absolutely insisted for him to come here since he has found something. His friend’s flashy entrance gains quite an audience and Sho shushes him as Aiba runs close to his table. 

“Aiba-chan, how many times do I have to tell you not to make a loud entrance in a public place?” Sho chastises, setting his cup of tea down on the table. 

Aiba, flustered with all the running he must have done, exhales loudly and wordlessly hands him a flyer. Without looking at it first, Sho asks, “What is this?”

“My friend Nino has enrolled in this fancy cooking class just a few blocks away from my apartment. The schedule is not that demanding and it’s perfect for absurdly workaholic people like you!” Aiba claps. He must think his idea is a work of genius. 

Scanning the flyer, Sho mulls over. In an elegant script, it says _Matsumoto Kitchen_ and it’s open for individual courses and private lessons. The class caters to beginners in cooking as the list of lessons includes the most common Japanese food and a few Western ones as an additional option. And it is indeed a few blocks away from Aiba’s apartment, which is truthfully, not that far for Sho. 

“When does this start?”

Aiba grins, overjoyed that his suggestion piqued Sho’s interest. “They gather every Saturday!”

“Well, Satoshi-kun plans to take me to Kanagawa this Saturday morning,” Sho pauses and considers it before quickly saying, “But who cares, right?”

_Saturday, 10 am, an elegantly furnished basement kitchen:_

Sho does not know why it has ended up like this. Both Aiba and Ohno came to accompany him to the cooking class. His friends flanked his sides on the train and they chatted animatedly while Sho remained silent. Ever since Aiba suggested it, Sho couldn’t help but see his future self successfully cooking decent stuff for himself after work or for friends or for potential lovers. He has been basking in the incredible image it conjured that Sho could not stop from smiling since he woke up this morning, motivated to pursue this class.

Ohno, although pissed that he could not have an excuse to fish with Sho again, figured that cooking classes may be better for his friend. After all, Ohno wants Sho to learn at least the basic preparation in cooking so the guy does not end up injuring himself whenever he attempts to cook for them.

Aiba and Ohno can only take Sho to the door of the venue. When they reach the place, Aiba grabs Sho by the shoulders before he can go inside and with conviction, declares, “Sho-chan. Good luck!”

Sho gives a happy but firm nod and turns on his heel but not without a wave towards his friends. They wave back with equal enthusiasm.

 _Matsumoto’s Kitchen_ is a quaint little place. It’s easy to miss the door to the site if one is simply walking along the street. The unembellished glass door opens to a narrow corridor of a few meters. At the end of the corridor is an equally narrow staircase leading to a wide basement kitchen. 

Sho lets out a silent “wow” at the sight that greeted him. The kitchen is designed to house a few people for classes. There are two long wooden tables facing a small one, and comfy bar stools are scattered around. Some are already inside, talking amongst themselves. His classmates, most probably. Most are middle-aged ladies, dressed in too fancy clothes for a cooking class. They look up when he enters, greeting him a good morning before going back to their conversations. Sho nods in return.

Sho finds an empty bar stool on a corner of the kitchen, directly in front of the makeshift whiteboard stuck to the wall. In introspection, Sho did not expect this kind of homey feeling. Although its location is quite dubious, the basement kitchen is fully bathed in sunlight from the slightly huge windows on one side of the room. 

As Sho twists his stool, he tries not to look too eager. Aiba says it’s his scariest look and Sho is sure he doesn’t want to make the wrong impression. He wants to make friends, he wants to learn, and ultimately, he wants to make this worth his time.

His seat is not warm yet when hands suddenly push him away from it. Sho nearly knocks his head on the corner of the wooden table. In his shock, he whips his head and sees the culprit, calmly putting his bag away. 

“Excuse me?” Sho seethes, trying to stand back up in vain.

The only other guy in the room extends his hand with a light smile. “Welcome, newbie. I’m Nino and this is my seat.” 

“Ah, really?” Sho mutters back as Nino pulls him back to stand. The guy also drags another chair near him and pats it to let Sho know he can sit.

“You must be Aiba-shi’s friend, Sakurai Sho,” Nino guesses. Sho nods. Nino, the weird person with rude manners, laughs loudly that it echoes around the room and attracting a few of the class’ attention, “So it’s you he has been worrying over. If you only know how many times that person called me to ask for suggestions for your hobby, you’d probably laugh, too.”

“What?” Sho asks, dumbfounded. “He did?”

“I have no intentions of letting him know about this cooking class because this is mostly an exclusive one and I want to have the monopoly of the few single ladies in the class, but he saw the flyer at my house and excitedly thought about the possibilities for you.”

By the end of Nino’s story, Sho’s head is bowed, in disbelief of Aiba’s willing efforts. He’s aware of how Aiba can be insistent but not to the point of disturbing other people for it.

“I’m so sorry for that,” Sho mumbles under his breath. 

Nino good-heartedly pats him on the back like they have been friends for years. The pats are not without incredible force for such a tiny person. It nearly knocks the breath out of Sho’s lungs. “No big deal, no big deal. I know Aiba-kun does not go to great lengths for an unimportant person. I’m pretty sure he’s just concerned for you.”

Maybe Aiba is a little _too_ concerned for Sho and that’s where the problem lies. With a new resolve, Sho promises himself to hold on to this cooking class for as long as he could. He does not want to let Aiba’s efforts go to waste.

“Anyway, would you like to know more about Matsumoto’s Kitchen?” Nino seems willing to share, twisting his stool to face him.

Sho grins in response. Nino playfully beams back, latching on to the challenge.

“The instructor’s name is Matsumoto Jun, an unbelievably nice person but a strict cooking instructor. He works at an Italian restaurant near here and he decided to teach beginners in cooking about two years ago. I met him at the Italian restaurant. I don’t go out much and I don’t really go to expensive places such as that one. But he served me food he himself cooked that night, looking keen for my reaction. I don’t like food much all the more Italian cuisine but his pasta’s amazing,” Nino reminisces. Matsumoto Jun does sound like a promising person to know. “Well, as expected of J. He defies expectations. I enrolled just this year after I learned about it from a regular customer who adores him so much.”

“What do you exactly do here?”

“We normally cook what J suggests but we are required to give recommendations for the next lessons. J may be serious but he cares about every single one in this room. He really wants everyone to learn and be great at cooking,” Nino explains, matter-of-factly. 

“Oh,” is Sho’s toneless reply. While Matsumoto Jun seems interesting from Nino’s story, he cannot say anything before they formally meet.

“He’ll be here by exactly ten. So be ready as he always arrives exactly on time, it’s almost creepy,” Nino mentions.

At the reminder, Sho scrambles to grab for a pen and notepad from his sling bag and scoots his bar stool closer to the table. Nino observes him, grimacing at the noisy sound of the bar’s legs scraping the wooden floor. When Sho finally reaches his desired position, Matsumoto Jun enters the room, in all his casual glory. Sho widens his eyes at the guy. He’s tall, proud, and too good-looking. Unconsciously, Sho straightens his plaid shirt and skinny jeans, stifling a brief feeling of insecurity. Sho hears the distant dreamy sighs from behind him. Before he can frown at them, Matsumoto Jun begins to speak.

“Good morning,” he greets, his voice flat and nonchalant.

Matsumoto Jun seems formidable at first look. But Sho can see why Nino says the guy is “an unbelievably nice person.” He flashes a smile, showing no indication of his cold initial greeting.

“Today, we’re starting with julienning,” Jun announces, both hands bracing the edge of his table. He holds his hands up and chuckles, expecting the slight murmurs from the class. “Now I know this is a strange way to start with after we’ve finished cooking pasta just last week. But someone new is joining in today and I’d like to start with the basics again. Think of it as a refresher. Just to exercise the skills for a bit.”

His dark eyes stray towards Sho and Sho can’t help but lean back in his chair. “Please introduce yourself.” His hands gesture to the floor but Sho does not make any move to stand beside him. Frankly, Sho’s afraid of looking plain beside such a flashy guy.

“I’m…Sakurai Sho. N-Nice to meet you,” Sho introduces, mentally cursing himself for stuttering in the second sentence. That is uncool. Apparently, some ladies in the class think so, too, as he hears a giggle from the back of the room. 

One side of Jun’s mouth turns up and bows to make him sit down. Sho complies without further explanation. It’s funny how such a person can make Sho bend and silently obey. It’s rare and Sho doesn’t like this helpless feeling.

Jun claps once, gaining back the attention of the students, Sho included, “Basic knife techniques are vital in presenting your dish. Julienning vegetables is one method that will not only make your dish look fantastic but will also ensure more controlled cooking.”

Jun turns to one of his side tables and brings out a basket of carrots. With nifty hands, Jun peels a carrot from top to bottom. Sho is fascinated by how Jun makes it look easy. 

“Psst,” Nino whispers beside him. When Sho turns, Nino’s holding in a laugh. “Keep your mouth closed,” he mouths.

Sho closes his mouth which has been gaping at Jun all the while. But his hands start working, reaching for his pen and trying to write most of what the instructor is saying.

“After peeling the carrot, trim the top and the bottom. Then cut the thing into two to three inch lengths,” Jun explains, doing as he instructs. His focus remains on the task at hand. Sho thinks his hands are pretty while doing that. He must be gaping again, but he quickly recovered and went back to note-taking.

Sho holds back for a minute or so but he guesses he can’t help it as he’s on the edge of his seat. He raises his hand, high up in the air, as if Matsumoto Jun will have difficulty finding him sitting in front. Sho purses his lips and waits for Jun to notice.

Other students are staring at him now, even Nino, but he remains unyielding. Jun, on the other hand, shows no sign that he is aware Sho’s raising his hand.

“Um, Sensei?” Sho hesitates for a second, but the first call is enough to get Jun to lift his head. He looks distracted and confused for a moment, a little disoriented that someone is trying to get his attention while he’s teaching something. Sho does not wait for permission to speak and launches on to a question, “What is so special about julienning? I mean it’s fancy and all, and you said it will ensure controlled cooking but…in what way?”

Jun stops cutting after Sho finished his question. He lays down the knife on the table with an audible tap. 

His thick brows are furrowed as he answers, “If a vegetable is julienned, it will allow rapid and even cooking for the vegetable to combine well into a mix of other ingredients.”

Sho pauses to write it on his notepad, taking note of the “rapid and even cooking.” When Sho does not talk again, Jun goes back to julienning his carrot. Before Jun can continue with his lecture, Sho raises his hand for the second consecutive time. Jun, once again, lays down his knife beside his chopping board, with more force than the first.

Sho smiles in apology but he inquires again, “Are there vegetables that cannot be julienned? For…future reference, of course. I just want to be sure where and when to use it.”

“You can try it on any vegetable you like. But onion and soft ingredients such as tomatoes can be quite difficult,” Jun answers in a clipped tone. 

Sho writes on his notepad again then goes ahead and raises his hand for the third time, quite shamelessly, before Jun can pick up his knife. Jun’s irritation is conveyed through his face but his persistent student is oblivious. 

“How many times are you supposed to cut—”

“You may ask more of your questions after the lesson, Sakurai-san. I believe my carrot has been delayed of julienning for long enough, thank you,” Jun goes back to julienning but not before throwing Sho a tight smile.

Ah, Sho thinks, he may have angered his instructor for being too inquisitive. Aiba told him beforehand that it can be quite annoying to some. Not to mention, none of the students in the cooking class are asking questions while the lesson is ongoing. In fact, Sho surveys the room, everyone has been staring at him, askance.

“I just noticed that you seem adamant in taking notes. It’s quite impressive,” his seatmate remarks in a low tone, shooting a sly smile towards Sho. 

“Cooking intimidates me. I want to be at least knowledgeable of the basic stuff so I won’t look like an idiot,” Sho whispers back.

Jun finishes his demonstration, looks back at the class and instructs, “On your table drawers are knives and chopping boards. Get a carrot from this basket and wash it before julienning. I’ll be going around so raise your hand if you have any question.”

The class moves in unison, Sho is a bit late on the uptake. He scurries to open the table drawer and retrieves a sharp knife and wooden chopping board. He places the equipment on his table and walks slowly towards the basket on Jun’s work table. The instructor does not spare him a single glance, as he looks over the rest of the class.  
Relieved, Sho picks up a small carrot and goes straight for the sink. 

When he comes back to his station, Jun is already making his rounds. Sho attempts to start peeling. 

Not without errors, Sho concludes peeling the carrot and while it is not cleanly done, he shrugs it off and poises to start cutting. Unfortunately, Jun approaches near.

“Great cutting skills, Nino. Keep it up,” Jun praises in passing. Nino beams at him and continues julienning. Nino is amazing at cutting stuff. Sho is almost certain that Nino does this better than Jun did.

Sho, on the other hand, is clueless. Gripping the sharp knife tighter in his right hand, he wonders how to start julienning the avocados in front of him. Does he need to remove the skin first? How does one hold the thing he has to cut? 

Jun reaches his spot before Sho can pretend he’s doing something. “Are you okay?”

Sho nearly drops the knife in his shock. Jun is equally startled across from him. Sho attempts a trembling smile. “A-Ah, I-I…”

At a loss, Sho grips his knife in his slightly wet right hand, while his left holds the carrot. He puts all of his focus on doing this simple thing right. 

“You’re holding the knife the wrong way,” Jun comments. Sho does not respond, but does not start cutting, either. Like time stopped temporarily.

Jun strides to stand beside Sho and grasps his hands holding the knife. Sho is momentarily stunned into his place. Jun rearranges Sho’s fingers to loosen his hold on the knife. Jun positions Sho’s index finger and thumb to grip the top of the blade. 

“Try it again,” Jun orders when he lets go.

Without further ado, Sho tries, but the carrot slips away from his other hand and he slices a skin off his left hand’s forefinger. Blood gushes out slowly and Sho gasps in pain. He has always been sensitive to pain, can’t even take a small wound to calm him down.

Jun groans audibly, clutching his head as if it hurts and tries to calmly command Sho to, “It’s a good idea that I followed your friend’s advice. You are truly a handful. Rest for today and practice your cutting. Next time, try not to julienne your own finger.”

Sho winces in pain but at a loss for words.

\--  
“I’m never going back there,” Sho declares to Aiba over the phone when the latter called to check on him.

“Sho-chan, it’s just a small cut, and anyway, you haven’t even started learning how to cook dishes! This is the lamest time to drop out,” Aiba reasons out. He sighs when Sho does not reply. “Don’t tell me you’re not willing to give this class a chance without trying it.”

“I am insulted. He did not even help me mend my wound. He just dismissed me like some common person. As his student and someone older—wait, is he older?”

“You’re one year older than him.”

“As someone _older_ than him, I demand some respect, at least.”

“But Sho-chan, this is not like you. You’re giving up before trying something. So what if you suck at cutting stuff? So what if you cut your own finger instead of the carrot? Maybe you’re meant to be doing greater stuff in the kitchen!” Aiba argues, his voice constantly rising with every sentence. 

“Yeah, maybe I’ll work wonders in washing dishes,” Sho sarcastically retorts.

“Sho-chan, the next class is in a week. Make your mind up then. Please think about this thoroughly or I’ll let Ohno know you agreed to go back to fishing,” Aiba hangs up before Sho can split a word in.

Cursing under his breath, Sho throws his phone on the other side of the bed and stretches his limbs above the sheets. Truthfully, Sho does not mind the insults much. But he doesn’t like the helplessness he feels while inside that kitchen with Matsumoto Jun. Sho hates to admit this to himself but Jun reminds him too much of his self at work.

And that’s not a great thing.

\---

When Sho comes back, a week later, Jun seems to have forgotten all of the previous fuss. 

“I have an errand to run today so I’ll leave you all with the recipe to miso soup. I’ll be back soon after the class ends so please leave your finished products on the table,” Jun is in a rush as he details all of his orders in one breath. 

Sho thinks he’s quite lucky. His first cooking attempt and Jun is not around to witness his failure. He can do this. This means less pressure. 

“I’ll help you,” Nino offers. “I mean, I will not do everything for you but I’ll help you if you need it.”

“Thank you, Nino,” Sho mumbles with a weak smile.

Jun’s recipe for miso is surprisingly detailed, from the equipment to use to the steps to follow. Jun’s instructions are all in easy mode and, with a bit of Nino’s help, Sho is sure he can do this splendidly.

\--

“So? How’s your second day?” Aiba prods on their way to lunch on Monday.

“Better. MatsuJun was not there and I think I did my miso soup amazingly. Even Nino said so,” Sho boasts, his chest and his cheeks puffing with pride. 

“Well,” Aiba playfully frowns, “Nino told me he did everything to get your miso soup to taste decent.”

“Ah, I don’t care if you don’t believe me! That was the tastiest miso soup I’ve ever had!”

“I don’t believe you! I bet mine’s way tastier than yours!”

\--

“Sho-chan,” Nino nudges him by the shoulder, angling his body to whisper directly into Sho’s ear. “We’re doing a Christmas cake!”

“Christmas…cake?” Sho hesitantly echoes in the same low volume. Nino confirms it with a firm nod. Before he can properly retort to this sudden information, Jun strides in, looking mentally preoccupied with something, tapping his long forefinger to his temple. 

“Today,” Jun starts with a loud clap, and Sho jumps in surprise. The teacher’s eyes roam the room until his gaze lands on Sho. “We’re making Christmas cakes.”

Sho whips his head to look at Nino, who meets his stare head on and slyly smirks, like he knows everything. Sho is stunned. In his one month of attending the cooking class, he hasn’t attempted, nor shown any interest, in baking. Sho has only attempted the most basic Japanese food, such as miso soup, sushi, and other similar stuff. 

“Now, I’m aware that some of you have little to no experience in baking. If you are one of those, please raise your hand,” Jun pauses and one by one, a handful of students, including Sho and, surprisingly, Nino, raise one hand up. Jun ponders the number as he nods slowly. 

“Making the perfect Christmas cake is not an easy thing to do. The trick here is to strictly follow the process. Measuring the ingredients is necessary so make sure to have your scales ready.”

Sho scrambles off to crouch below his table. He opens it to find the scales and other equipment indicated in the small piece of paper Jun has given them. 

It’ll be easy, he tells himself. He’s quite good in following rules. The first time he followed Jun’s recipe to the dot, he made a decent miso soup that he tries cooking at home every now and then.

With renewed confidence, Sho begins to work.

\--  
Sho fails to perfect his sponge cake so he tried it three times. It ended up either overcooked or undercooked. But he’s not prepared to fail, not today of all days. He has mastered following recipes. He will not give up so easily this time. 

In his third attempt, he makes sure the double boiler technique is executed, if not perfectly, at least close to that. He cracks the eggs into a bowl, whisking it with an electric hand mixer, gradually adding the sugar until it is combined and completely dissolved. He puts the mixture over the bowl of warm water and continues to whisk until the mixture turns white.

Making sure to sift the flour and baking powder into the egg mixture, he mixes it with a wooden spoon slowly but surely. He transfers the batter onto a greased round pan and levels out the mixture with a spatula. Sho puts it inside the oven he preheated earlier.

He observes his cake closely, even dragging his chair close to it. He opens it after exactly 25 minutes and sticks a knife in. When he sees that no residue is stuck, he smiles broadly and takes the pan out of the oven. 

When he pops the cake out of the pan, it is as perfect as he imagined it to be, almost like how Nino’s turned out earlier. He sets the cake aside to cool atop a wire rack and gets ready to make the frosting and the topping.

Sho’s focus does not waver as he mixes the double cream and sugar in a mixing bowl. He has never done this far in the previous attempts, deeming the cakes unworkable at first glance. Clutching the bowl close to his chest, he whips the cream mixture vigorously until it thickens and forms stiff peaks. He separates the cream mixture into two bowls for the filling and for covering the cake.

Sho has never shown confidence in cooking after that incident in julienning but Nino told him that he does not need to cut strawberries into complicated slices. He cuts them as he pleases and when he’s satisfied with its shape, he sets it aside for later.

To assemble his cake, according to the recipe, he needs to cut the sponge cake in half. He places the cake on a spinning stand to control it better. He has no room to make mistakes anymore when he’s this close to finishing the dish so using a cake leveler that Nino has prepared beforehand, he carefully cuts the cake into two equal parts. He sets aside the top part of the cake for the filling.

He places a thick dollop of cream on top of the bottom part of the cake. He saw Nino working on this earlier and Sho is quite impressed. If Nino is that skilled in cooking, why did he enroll in this cooking class in the first place? Maybe he wants to stalk Jun?

He spreads the cream evenly across the cake. Relieved that he has not messed it up in any way, he places the slices of strawberries on top of the cream until it is completely covered. When he’s done, he places another dollop of cream on top and spreads it thinly across the strawberries.

With a bit of trepidation, Sho transfers the top part of the cake over the bottom one. It nearly topples over on his first try but it’s easy to maneuver and straighten, getting cream on his fingers. He does not let go of the cake until he’s certain it’s stable.

A heartbeat after, he lets go and it stays in its place.

Wearing triumphant smile on his face, Sho begins to cover the cake with the rest of the cream, using the spatula to smooth the surface. His cream covering is not completely clean but it looks decent at a distance and Sho let it stay that way.

Aside from the leveler, Nino has also prepared the piping bag so Sho only has to transfer the cream onto it. As Nino instructed, Sho pipes a small amount onto one of the used mixing bowls to let out the air before he pipes a string of cream along the border of the top of the cake. He also pipes eight more dots in the middle for the strawberries to go into.

After Sho puts the final touch on his cake, namely the Christmas decorations on top, he finally releases a pleased sigh. His smile is wide, relieved and happy to finish his work. When he looks up, he’s the only one left…save for Jun, of course, who is observing him keenly from his chair on the kitchen table. 

“I finished it,” Sho whispers for some reason. The silence is deafening and Jun does not seem as impressed as Sho is. Sho is nervous when Jun dusts himself off and makes his way to his side. The teacher carefully cuts a slice of his cake, put it in a nearby plate and forked a piece to taste.

The instructor chews slowly, savoring the taste of the cake. 

“It’s probably the best you’ve ever done, Sakurai-san,” Jun comments, not meeting his eyes. “Clean up and you’re done for the day. _Mise en place_.”

“ _Mise_ \--what?“

“I want everything in its place when you leave. I’m going to turn in. Good night, Sakurai-san,” Jun picks up his plate of cake and brings it along with him. Before he reaches the flight of stairs, he shoots a friendly smile towards Sho. “And well done.”

Sho cannot stifle the grin that is threatening to split his face.

\--

“I decided to cook for MatsuJun,” Sho tells Nino when they met at the supermarket before class. “I asked for his permission to use his kitchen until late today. He agreed.”

“MatsuJun? Wait, you’re cooking for him? Why? What happened?” Nino goads, letting Sho push his cart further while he selects his favorite brand of tofu. 

“I got a mighty praise from him when I finished my Christmas cake!” Sho informs Nino, his face-splitting smile back on. “I’m determined to get his seal of approval again.”

“Uh-oh. You do know you’re scary when you look eager, right?” 

Sho’s smile turns upside down. “I know. I’ve been told that a million times.”

“Just…be careful, okay? If there’s something Jun hates more than messing his beloved kitchen, it’s having people get hurt under his supervision.”

\--  
After work, Sho drives straight to Jun’s kitchen. Sho slips into the basement a little after 8 pm. The place is completely quiet after cooking class. Jun handed him the key earlier so Sho can clean up and close the door when he leaves. _Mise en place_ , Jun reminded him again.

He opens the lights and makes the necessary preparations on his station.

Sho plans to make Tamori-san’s recommended shougayaki recipe. He heard from Nino that Jun has been into pork lately. Sho took the liberty of checking it on the internet and finding a reliable recipe to follow on cookpad. Sho rolls up his sleeves to his elbows and brings out the ingredients he brought from the large plastic bag.

He mixes the sake, the soy sauce, mirin and grated ginger in a bowl. He puts the flour in a separate bowl and the half pound of sliced pork on a wooden chopping board. According to the recipe, he just needs to sprinkle the flour on the sliced pork and he does so. 

Now all he needs to do is to fry the pork on a pan.

Sho is a novice to frying. The concept of frying is technically easy, way easier than baking. And Sho has successfully accomplished baking. 

He figures this will be a walk in the park, too.

“Just follow the recipe, Sho. Just follow the recipe.” 

He brings out a frying pan from the stack of equipment on the drawer. He puts in a fair amount of oil into the pan, spilling a bit on the side of the stove and some on the floor.

“Shit,” Sho swears but ignores the spilled oil, deciding to clean it all off later. 

He is meant to throw the pork into the pan but he slips on the spilled oil and knocks his head on the floor, hard. He goes on a long string of muttered curses, one after another. Everything hurt in that fall.

“Maybe I should have cleaned it up first.”

He stands back up with much effort and grabs for a nearby dry cloth (Jun insists on having many of those around the place). He scrubs the floor as clean as he could. When he gets back on his feet, the oil has gotten too hot. He mutters his nth curse of the day when he notices it.

He bends on his back and cracks some of his knuckles. Then cautiously, he picks up the pork with both hands and slides it inside the pan. Well, at least that was the plan. The heat was left on for too long so when he finally puts in the pork, the flames burst out of the pan. In his shock, he grabs for the pan’s handle and conveniently forgets that it is made out of metal, too. 

He flinches back in surprise, falling on his behind in this process and loses hold of the pan. The cloth he used to wipe the spilled oil catches fire immediately.

“OH SHI—“ 

Sho scrambles off, crawling away backwards using his butt and his hands. He’s completely in panic mode that he forgets the basic precautions of what to do in case of a fire.

A minute or two must have passed and he remains frozen in his place on the floor as the flames lick the things nearby. Before long, he hears and feels another presence in the room and someone is putting out the flames with the fire extinguisher. (Huh, Sho did not even notice where the fire extinguisher was)

“What are you doing?” a gravelly voice asks. Sho has no response. He’s still in a bit of a shock.

“I said, WHAT. ARE. YOU. DOING?” 

“I-I’m..”  
“IF YOU’RE PLANNING TO KILL YOURSELF, DON’T DO IT HERE!” Jun’s shout resounds in the soundless kitchen. He’s hovering furious and heaving over Sho. His dark eyes are sparkling and he’s clutching tight onto Sho’s collar.

“Get out,” Jun whispers.

Sho does not need any more words. He grabs for his bag, lying forgotten on top of the table, and strides away, feeling rage and tension overcome his body.

\---

Sho can be quite helpless in reaching out to people he has disappointed, because he can see where they’re coming from and he knows when to keep a safe distance. So Sho is sulking by the turning of a new year. A month after the incident, Aiba dropped by his house. Ohno is away on a month-long fishing trip somewhere in another prefecture but Aiba says he came on behalf of their other friend.

“Sho-cha~n,” Aiba singsonged, his lips forming a playful pout at the sight of Sho’s slumped sloping shoulders. 

“What?” Sho asks.

“What are you sulking for over here? We should have been drinking at bars by now. I shouldn’t even be comforting you for an unknown reason, as well. Now that you’ve unwillingly dragged me into this, why won’t you tell me what the problem is?” 

Sho hugs his knees closer to his chest, burrowing his face into a pillow. “I don’t want to.”

“What did you do to MatsuJun?” Aiba asks.

Sho throws his pillow across the room, aiming at Aiba’s face. “Why am I at fault? That person is terrifying when he’s angry. I don’t want to go near him again.”

“He will not get angry if you did not do something to anger him, Sho-chan. MatsuJun is not that irrational.”

“How would you know? You’re not close,” Sho pouts. It has been three solid weeks and Sho hasn’t been to the kitchen even once since their fight. He persists in being headstrong in the face of this predicament even though Sho’s rage easily dissolved that same night. The whole drive home, he’s preoccupied with introspection. Looking back on what happened, he deserved that berating from Jun. He nearly burned the kitchen down; Sho deserved more than just shouts. 

“You know, Jun easily gives in to his primary instincts. I’m pretty sure he didn’t mean to do what he did,” Aiba rubs his back, his voice soft enough to console. 

“But I was wrong,” Sho discerns. He takes Aiba’s face in his hands and repeats, “I was wrong. And I need to apologize to him.”  
Aiba can only nod. (But he believes Sho should, too)

\--  
On the first day since his talk with Aiba, Sho thinks as he eats his breakfast sandwich in his kitchenette before going to work. He cannot let Jun simmer more with his unrepentance. He has to at least take a chance at an apology.

He stands up and opens his fridge. There are remaining ingredients for Tamori’s shougayaki recipe inside. He takes it out one by one. 

Maybe his boss wouldn’t mind if he takes his first sick leave.

\--

The next day, Sho is ready. He dropped by the grocery last night and shopped for ingredients for chicken casserole, a chocolate cake, omurice, and some good anago sushi. 

He successfully accomplishes the shougayaki, he had Aiba’s help with the casserole even if his friend hasn’t done one before, Ohno helped him make the perfect glistening omurice, both Aiba and Ohno baked the richest chocolate cake with him, and giving up, Sho orders the best anago sushi in Tokyo and sends it over to MatsuJun’s basement kitchen.

Every day, before he goes to work, he drops by Matsumoto’s Kitchen and places the dish on top of the staircase to the basement. He does not leave anything else besides the food.

For five whole days, he has managed to steer clear of Matsumoto Jun. 

On Saturday, he decides to go back.

\--

Between them is distance, obvious and glaring, that it’s almost tangible. 

It is Sho’s first day back at the basement kitchen. If he tells the truth, he may mention about the feeling of dread creeping into his whole self at the thought of the day ahead. He has not seen the teacher in a month and the last time they met, Jun has shouted and Sho has stormed off. 

It was not an exactly amicable parting.

Sho has not withdrawn from his classes, despite the fact that they fought. He likes to think of it as a needed break. Not to mention, deadlines have been demanding with the turning of the new year. He would like to believe that he only hasn’t had the time to resume his cooking classes that’s why he hasn’t been around to visit

His return from hiatus is not as fussy as he expected it to be. His classmates, mostly the housewives, clamor over him and ask him how he has been. But they seem truly concerned that Sho cannot help but smile pleasantly and reassure him that he has been fine and his work has just been so hectic. 

Nino gives him a cordial hug before he makes his way to his seat. Sho puts his arm around Nino and snickers into the tiny guy’s denim jacket. 

“I wouldn’t say I missed you but it’s true so put up with my hugs for the moment, will you?” Nino jokes. Sho bursts out laughing harder than he had in months.

Sho accepts that he has missed being in the kitchen. Cooking has become his escape, his relaxation and he can’t believe he has suppressed this feeling for too long. Who knew Sho would eventually come to like cooking? Certainly not the man himself.

At exactly ten, Jun saunters inside and almost halts in his tracks when he looks up to Sho standing in his usual station. Sho gives him a sly smirk and Jun shakes his head but responds with the same one.

When the class ended for the day, Jun calls, “Sakurai-san.”

Jun waits for the other students to go but Nino stalls, intentionally dawdling around the kitchen.

“I was doubtful. Whether you really did those meals. Let me confirm it. Come over tomorrow evening and prepare one for me.”

Jun turns on his heel and exits his kitchen in a flash. Sho can swear he saw a glimpse of Jun’s blush over that admission. Sho’s jolly laugh echoes in the empty basement kitchen. 

Nino rolls his eyes and can’t believe he stayed over for that lame almost confession.

\--

It is the eve of Valentine’s day and Sho perseveres to finish a batch of handmade chocolates.

Jun, as always, hangs around the kitchen while Sho’s still there, either surfing the net or texting on his smartphone to make use of the time while waiting for his last student. Sho feels the slightest bit of guilt creep into the surface but he thinks that if he has to do this at home, he’d probably be dragged into doing more articles for work and he’ll never get to do this again. 

Sho is usually not the type of person to be lured into the Valentine hype but he is overwhelmed by the feeling of gratefulness for his cooking classmates that it is the only excuse he has to prepare chocolates for the event. Chocolates are not exactly complicated to make. In fact, it is probably the easiest one he has to make in this kitchen. 

Jun helped by providing a good recipe for the chocolates and a kitchen for Sho to use. 

Jun’s kitchen has plenty of baking molds. Sho goes for some orthodox shapes and a plastic chocolate mold with shapes of Pokemon characters. Sho dips his forefinger into the chocolate and puts it in his mouth to taste it. Chocolate is really good in whatever form.

When he has set aside the last tray of chocolates, Jun approaches him stealthily.

“Here,” Jun hands him a glass of wine, leaning on the edge of Sho’s wooden table. 

Sho brings the glass up to his nose and smells red wine. “Hm, what’s the occasion?”

“Nothing. I just want to talk to you, now that you’re done,” Jun shrugs, matter-of-factly. “Thank you for cooking those meals for me. I appreciate it.”

Sho blushes as he sips on wine. “That was…my apology. I was out of line. I nearly burned your kitchen down. You have all rights to be angry.”

“I was also scared for you, you know. You’re not moving, even when the fire was inches away from you,” Jun throws his head back and drains his glass. He twists in place and refills his glass with the same drink. “When you headed home, I was just glad you were safe. That incident drove me mad.”

“Sorry.”

An awkward silence ensues. They both know they’re at fault for the senseless fight.

“Anyway, your omurice last Thursday is better than what you cooked for me yesterday,” Jun couldn’t help but tease. 

“That was my first ever omurice! You should feel honored!” Sho scoffs.

Jun hummed, his eyebrows lifting in amusement. “I guess now I know why you think you’re bad at cooking.”

“Why?” Sho hesitantly asks.

“After trying it once and failing, you are afraid to attempt to do it again,” Jun said, all in one sigh. “Well, I guess you’re that kind of person. You came from a prestigious university, you’ve got a decent-paying job, you came from a good family: people must be putting too much pressure on you. It must be hard, masquerading as a perfect person.”

“Are you sympathizing with me? Well, this is a mighty first.” Sho offers his glass to Jun for a refill. Jun complies, filling Sho’s glass to the brim.

“I don’t envy your life, if that’s what you’re trying to imply,” Jun denies, waving his hand across his face in disagreement. “It’s tough, when people assume you’re great. That means you are not allowed to make mistakes.”

Sho hums in approval. When he was young, his parents only wanted the best for him and from him. But at ten, he failed his piano lessons. When he was fifteen, he got his first failing grade and it’s in Math. When he was twenty-two, he chose a job that his parents disapproved of. He has always been a failure, a disappointment. This is the reason why he exerts too much effort in work and nothing else. He wants to prove his parents wrong. He wants to turn the disappointment into something they can be proud of. And until Sho earns as much as his father did in his prime, Sho will not stop doing his utmost in everything.

“I bet you know that feeling, too. Everyone in the class thinks you’re amazing. I bet outside this place, a vast majority of people think the same way, too,” Sho deduces.

Jun bows his head and chuckles. “They do. But not at first. I was overconfident when I first started. When some bigwig picked me up at our local restaurant, I thought I was being scouted for something bigger. It turns out I was wrong. I was not even at par with the people working at that Italian restaurant. They were way experienced, way more amazing than I am.”

“Did you quit?”

“No, I didn’t. I persevered. I was a waiter before I became a legitimate cook. It took years and those years weren’t easy. At least not like what I thought,” Jun reminisces. “I’m still working at the same restaurant. I guess I can’t let go of that passionate part of me who longs to prove himself.”

“So, did you think you have proved yourself enough?” Sho asks, trying to get a glimpse of Jun in the dim light.

“I would like to think so. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have made this cooking class in the first place.”

Sho nods. Of course. Jun is amazing. He probably won’t let himself get tied down to something without accomplishments.  
“Hey, Sakurai-san,” Jun starts. Sho raises his hand to pause his question.

“Sho…please,” Sho offers. 

Jun smiles and relents, “Okay, Sho-kun, do you have a girlfriend?”

Sho’s cheeks redden at the sudden inquisition. “W-What? Not at the moment, no.”

“Why not? You’re an eligible bachelor with a stable job. That makes you quite a catch,” Jun wonders, without a hint of teasing.

“You’re forgetting that I’m incapable when it comes to cooking,” Sho points out the obvious.

“But I think it’s adorable,” now Jun’s tone borders on taunting as he looks sideways at Sho. 

“I-It’s not adorable!” Sho sputters in indignation. “Ah, you’re just like Ohno. I can’t believe I’m getting this treatment again.”

“Ohno?” 

Sho gulps the last of his red wine before answering, “Ohno Satoshi. Best friend since middle school. We’re not classmates but we have always lived next door to each other. I was his tutor even though he’s a whole year older. We…We were lovers just five months ago.”

The last line came out unexpectedly that Jun’s drink spills from his mouth unintentionally. “You’re—“

Sho nods, laughing dryly to ease the awkwardness. “Yes. He told me before that if I was a girl, he would definitely fall for me because as much as I was bad at cooking, I was also worse in drawing.”

“I can imagine.”

Jun’s comment earns a shove at the side and they laugh together over the sheer silliness of it. 

“Anyway, I confessed to him a year ago and after a week, he reciprocated my feelings. I guessed he just didn’t want to hurt my feelings then. We were happy.”

“What happened after that?” 

“We mutually decided it will not lead to anything so we parted before we came to hurt one another. We’re still friends now. He helped me with my first omurice, too.”

“You’ve got a bunch of amazing friends, don’t you?”

“I do. I’m lucky, I think, to have that at least.”

“What do you mean? That’s the best thing ever.”

Sho whips his head to glance at Jun, who peered back at him. 

MatsuJun’s eyes have never seemed lonelier.

\---  
Since that eventful night, Sho avoids any alone time with Jun. When he senses Jun wants to talk, he tells him he’s got a lot to finish at work and the guy will let him go. He’s frustratingly considerate, Sho is tempted to pull his hair out of his scalp. He does not even know why he’s avoiding him.

“Earth to Sho-chan! Woohoo!” Aiba waves his arms expressly to get Sho to notice him, once again, gaining unwanted attention from other customers of the coffee shop. Ohno, who is sitting closer to Sho, grasps his friend’s arm, shaking him to see if he’s all right.

Sho regains his consciousness of the present situation and groans loudly before burrowing his face in the comfort of his bundled thick jacket. 

“What is happening to you?” Aiba wants to know. He keeps his head down to meet Sho’s unwilling eyes.

“I don’t know,” Sho’s refusal to talk is muffled by the jacket he has his face against.

“You’ve never been this whiny before,” Ohno observes. Aiba nods repeatedly, concurring with Ohno.

“I just…don’t know what to do. I can’t concentrate. I’ve filed all my remaining vacation leaves but I don’t know what to do with them. Help me,” Sho moans. 

“You filed all your leaves? Is that really you, Sakurai Sho-san?” Aiba doesn’t stop waving his hands across Sho’s face, although it’s completely covered in thick fabric.

“If you’re trying to run away from MatsuJun, this is not the best way to do it!”

“Yeah, I suggest flying to Hokkaido and getting another hobby. If I knew that cooking class is going to do this to you, I would have dragged you to Kanagawa that Saturday morning, if it was the last thing I would ever have to do,” Ohno’s passionate tirade does nothing but stir more confusion in Sho. 

“If you like him, just tell him. I don’t think he’ll run away like you’re doing right now,” Aiba suggests, smiling good-heartedly as he scribbles on a tissue paper. When Sho finally lifts his head, Aiba boyishly grins and says, “Your coffee’s getting cold.”

_YOU ARE INVITED TO A SEDUCTION: Please come for dinner on Friday night. Wear the kind of clothes you would like to be seduced in._

“Very creative,” Jun breathes, his brows shooting high up to his forehead. Sho’s heart thuds for three slow beats in his chest, before Jun surrenders to an almost hesitant smile. 

“C-Come in…” Sho gestures inside and steps away from the door to let his guest in.

Jun saunters in, with a quiet, “sorry for the intrusion,” and removes his shoes by the front door. He readily slips on a pair of royal blue slippers and proceeds to enter Sho’s apartment without any further questions.

Through the combined influence of Aiba and Ohno, Sho came up with a silly invitation for Jun. The two searched on the internet for a sample and printed the text in an elegant black paper. They took it away and delivered it straight to MatsuJun’s door before Sho can inspect it. Sho buries his face in his hands in embarrassment. This is the last time he’ll ever ask a favor from those two.

Well, Jun smells amazing, judging by the whiff he caught when the guy passed by him earlier. He is also dressed down to impress. Sho is thoroughly impressed but he’ll probably never say it out loud. 

All Sho has prepared is chocolate cake, a plate full of anago sushi and udon. 

Sho gestures for Jun to enter the kitchen. He lets the guest sit on the wooden chair of his dining table. Sho opens all of the covered plates for Jun to survey. Then he closes his eyes and waits for the inevitable sermon.

He does not expect the sudden pull at his wrist and his mouth to be occupied with another activity other than eating. Jun is a great kisser for all it was worth. Jun’s hands stray from Sho’s wrist to his waist, pulling him impossibly closer. Before long, Sho’s straddling Jun’s hips and aggressively trying to outmatch each other in making out. When Sho pulls away, he stares straight back at Jun’s hazy eyes. 

“This is the seduction, right?” Jun confirms, leaving small pecks all over Sho’s face and neck and everywhere his lips can reach.

“It is, but I also meant the food,” is Sho’s breathy reply. “I was meant to…seduce you…with food.”

Jun’s mouth makes its way back to Sho’s and the meals take a backseat for the night.

When Sho is hoisted onto the table, he pushes away all the food and moans into Jun’s mouth.

“Hey, how many times do I have to remind you?” Jun’s voice is hoarse, dangerously low. “ _Mise en place_.”

“I’m here, aren’t I? Everything is in its place now,” Sho pounces on Jun again and again and again.

“Ugh, please don’t associate this with cooking,” Jun complains.

Well, in the end, Sakurai Sho still found a perfect hobby. While it is nowhere near excellent cooking skills, he found something equally worthwhile: kissing Jun can be quite an extravagant way to pass the time.


End file.
